Hands-on LG Revolution Android phone with Verizon 4G LTE

Verizon and LG just announced the LG Revolution with Verizon 4G LTE and we got our grubby little hands on the next-generation device at CES 2011.

Unfortunately, the LG Revolution we got to see didn’t have a Verizon 4G LTE SIM card, so we weren’t able to test much of it and the software was in an very early form but it still looks like a solid device, particularly if you can’t wait to get next-generation mobile data in the palm of your hands.

The LG Revolution is quite a porker, as the device is quite bulky. That’s primarily because the modules for 4G LTE are pretty large right now and it shows with this handset. Thankfully, it’s not heavy at all and it’s been said that it’s pretty much a Verizon 4G LTE version of the Optimus 2X but a tad bulkier. The soft back plastic cover does pop off easily for swapping out batteries, microSD cards and SIMs.

The company was staying tight-lipped about what kind of 1 GHz processor is in it but the Optimus 2X is Tegra 2, so you can draw your own conclusions. It sports a large, 4.3-inch screen but it doesn’t seem like an overly large device like the EVO 4G did to some people. Maybe it’s a proportions thing due to the bulkiness. Look for a 5-megapixel camera on the back, a 1.3-megapixel shooter on the front and all the goodies you’d expect like WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and DLNA.

The LG Revolution with Verizon 4G LTE will launch with Android 2.2 and it will be able to upgrade to 2.3 Gingerbread, although we don’t know when. If you’ve ever played with an LG Ally, you’ll recognize the user interface – it’s kind of like TouchWiz with a splash of iOS on top of the little green robot.

We didn’t get to play too much with the software though, as it’s still very early and there was no connectivity. We do know that it will have Bing as the default search engine and that it should also come with Netflix and video chatting from Skype.

The main draw of this device is to get the 4G LTE service in your hands and I can understand that urge. While on the CES show floor, we saw live demos of it getting more than 7 Mbps down consistently. Those were tethered devices though.

Does the LG Revolution with Verizon 4G LTE make me want to line up to get it? The specs aren’t shabby but I’m not sure at the moment because of the bulkiness. Something like the Atrix 4G blows this thing out of the water in terms of sex appeal but Verizon 4G LTE is quite compelling by itself.

It’s still too early to judge this phone though, so I wouldn’t mind being wrong.

Check out our hands-on photos and video below. Note: LG made a last minute change to the battery cover after we shot these photos and video.